The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-11-24
AMERICAN PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

The result of the school board election in
st. Louis will be a surprise to some people
and an eye-opener to others. To the Journal
it. By way of defining the issues of the
election and emphasizing the significance of
the result, we reprint the platform adopted at
a mass meeting of the citizens of st. Louis:
IL That State and national politics should
have nothing to do with the management of
the public schools.
80 That in spite of scarcity Of funds adj
ditional buildings and teachers should be
provided till every child of school age asking
admission may be received without over
crowding rooms or overworking teachers.
'.3. That rigid economy should be observed
in the erection and furnishing of new build
ings.
81. That no language but the English
should be taught at public expense in the
primary and district schools"
Out of twenty one candidates nominated on
this platform seventeen were elected. The
citizens movement was successful in ten cut
of fourteen school districts, and elected every
one of the seven candidates at large, the
majorities on the latter averaging about four
thousand. The discussion that preceded this
election covered the whole ground of reform
in school management. The movement was
one in favor of renchment, economy and
reform, the abolition of German in the pri-
mary and grammar schools being made a
leading feature. There can be no mistaking
the significance of this election. It means
that the people of St. Louis, after full dis
cussion, have pronounced by large majority
in favor of bringing the public schools back
to something like first principles. The
original idea, the constitutional idea, the
true idea OF American public schools is to
furnish free education for every child in the
common English branches so far as is neces-
sary to lay the foundation for good citizen
ship. This idea may be expanded within
reasonable limitations, but it must be kept
constantly in view as the fundamental and
ruling principle of the public school system.
The tendency in recent years has been to lose
sight of it, and to overload the system with
branches of instruction entirely foreign to the
original idea, tending to increase the expense
and diminish the efficiency of the schools.
The result has been a waste of time and
money that could be better applied Another
result has been tendency to ornamental and
superficial education, neglect of thorough
instruction in the primary branches and of
providing adequate school accommodations,
spending in educational frivolities money that
should be appropriated to the erection of new
buildings. Conspicuous among these parasitic
growths of recent years, diverting the energies
aud revenues of the public school system, is
instruction in German. It had its origin in
demagogy. It is foreign to the American idea
and the public school idea. It is educa-
tional nuisance and expensive fraud. It
interferes with English education, and alb
CORDS time and money that are needed for
other matters. 1t has no proper place in the
public schools of our English-speaking people.
We say this in the interest of the schools, and